Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, wants to finish the remaining four months of his term rather than resign at the end of the month as a result of his guilty plea in a June sex sting operation.
Craig, 62, called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Wednesday morning to explain reports by his staff that he will not only fight his earlier plea, but will also fight to keep his seat.
Hours later, the Senate ethics committee said it would continue to investigate a misconduct charge against Craig.
“The committee has reached no conclusions regarding the matter,” wrote the panel’s chairwoman, Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and ranking minority member, John Cornyn, R-Texas. “Pending Sen. Craig’s resignation, the committee will continue to review this matter.”
Craig was charged with lewd conduct after an undercover officer accused him of attempting to solicit sex in a men’s room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport.
Reeling from a series of sex and corruption scandals, Senate Republicans quickly turned on him and pressured him to resign after stripping him of his committee seat and launching an ethics investigation. Craig announced his “intent” to resign last week.
But now Craig says he made a mistake when he pleaded guilty and strenuously denies the misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.
“I believe he indicated this morning that his hope would be that if he got the matter disposed of in Minnesota that he would finish his term,” McConnell said.
When asked whether he supported Craig’s change of heart, McConnell said, “I thought he made the correct decision — the difficult but correct decision to resign. That would still be my view today.”
Craig spokesman Dan Whiting said the three-term senator will not run for re-election.
Craig has hired a team led by Washington ethics lawyer Stan Brand and defense lawyer Billy Martin to help him reverse the guilty plea and serve out his term.
Brand unsuccessfully urged the ethics panel to drop its investigation because the charge against Craig was unrelated to his office. Investigating Craig, Brand said, would leave senators “vulnerable for almost any legal transgression no matter how minor or professionally irrelevant.”
